


Requitalist and the Akuma's

by SpaceButterflies



Series: The Miraculous Tales of Ladybug and Friends [6]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Lila is a terrible Person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2019-10-19
Packaged: 2020-12-24 13:15:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21100067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpaceButterflies/pseuds/SpaceButterflies
Summary: Tensions are high at Paris' first Band Battle for Charity, so an Akuma attack is inevitable.But, when an entire band is akumatized can Ladybug and Chat Noir outperform them? Or will Hawk Moth be going home the victor?





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> I'd like to apologize for how long it took me to get this posted. I started it earlier this year, but between getting into new fandoms and writers' block, I had put this on the back burner and worked on it little by little as the mood struck me.
> 
> Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy it!

“Hello, Paris, I'm Alec Cataldi, coming to you live from the Eiffel Tower! Today's the day you've all been waiting for; the first annual Battle of the Bands! I'm here with the host and mastermind, none other than world-famous; Jagged Stone!" Alec turns to face the rock star. "Why don't you tell us a little about the event? What gave you the idea to come up with it?"

"Jagged Stone smiles at the camera. "Easy, I wanted to give the rock and rollers of Paris the chance to make their dreams come true and to find out which one of them is the best! Not only that, but I wanted to give back to the community by having all the proceeds from today's event donated to various charities and fundraisers from all over the country!"

"How generous!"

Marinette presses the home button on her phone, closing the video app, reading a message from Alya saying that she was going to try and grab an interview from a band called the ‘Ladybugs’ for the Lady blog before the show, promising she’d be back in time for Kitty Sections performance. She smiles, oddly flattered that a band would name themselves after her alter ego as she makes her way back towards Kitty Section while they fiddle with their instruments and equipment. 

"How's it going, you guys?" she receives a series of ‘great's’ in response and a simple thumbs up from Luka. "So," she slinks over to him, hands behind her back. "What song are you going to play?"

To answer her question, Luka simply strums a few chords and she giggles. "I love that one," Luka smiles at her, still silent, and Marinette's eyebrows furrow in concern. "Are you feeling okay, Luka?"

"He's just nervous," Rose answers. "He's kind of like Juleka, but instead of mumbling, when he's nervous he forgets how words work." this earns her a look from the brother and sister. "What, it's true!"

Luka rolls his eyes and turns back to his guitar, looking up when Marinette places a hand on his arm. "There's no need to be nervous, Luka. You guys are the best! I'm sure you'll win first place."

"Wow, Marinette, I didn't know you were Kitty Section's manager!" the group turns to the entrance, the way Marinette's grip on Luka's sleeve not going unnoticed by the young guitarist. Lila Rossi stands in the doorway, holding a clipboard in one hand, with a smile on her face.

"Lila! You're home!" the group flocks around her, and she smiles brightly.

"That's right! I have so many stories to tell you guys, but it'll have to wait until _after_ the show. Actually it may have to wait longer than that, I promised Alya an interview for the Ladyblog, because, as you know Ladybug is my best friend and she was all but begging for me to come home.”

Marinette scowls. She wants to argue with her, but she holds her tongue, knowing it would do more harm than good. "You know you have to be part of a band to be backstage, right?" she asks instead.

"Yes, but it also helps that my dad is Jagged Stone's cousin twice removed. So you know, family perks." she holds up the clipboard. “Also, I’m on the job. I’m in charge of making sure everyone is present and actually signed up before the deadline.”

Marinette goes to respond but stops herself. She takes a deep breath to calm herself down. It's not worth the effort right now. She has other things to worry about. It's not like anyone would listen to her anyway.

She turns away and grabs one of the masks and a paintbrush, listening to Lila's spiel. "Anyway, I've seen your stuff online, you're one of the best groups here. You’re a shoo-in for first place.. But, if _my_ band were here, you wouldn't stand a chance."

"You're in a band?" Ivan asks.

"Didn't I tell you? Back when my family and I lived in America I was the lead singer in a band I joined at school. We won the talent show and even got offered a record deal, but unfortunately, we had to turn it down because my family and I were moving again that weekend."

Marinette silently mocks Lila while her back is turned, making faces as she touches up the paint job on the mask in her hand. She takes a glance at Luka, noticing him rolling his eyes at her story, they make eye contact before quickly looking away from one another, and Marinette can feel the blush on her cheeks. 

"Oh, I have an idea!" Lila pulls out her phone. "Let's take a selfie! So we can always remember the day before your big break!" she turns to Marinette. "Marinette, will you take the photo?"

Letting out a sigh, she sets the mask and paintbrush down. "Yeah, sure." she takes the phone and everyone gets into position. "Alright everyone, say cheese!"

As everyone says 'cheese', Lila stands on her tiptoes to kiss Luka on the cheek just as Marinette snaps the photo. Before either Luka or Marinette can process what had just transpired, Lila swipes her phone back and smiles.

"Thanks, guys!" she puts it back in her pocket and turns her attention back to the guitarist. "So, Luka, I was wondering if you would like to hang out sometime?" she asks, touching his arm as she does. "My dad has connections with some of the best record labels in the world, I can hook you up."

Luka opens his mouth to respond, but all that comes out is a stutter and Lila giggles. She takes his hand and opens it, exposing his palm. "I know you're busy so-" she pulls a marker and scribbles on his hand. "Here's my number. Call me sometime."

Luka looks at the digits on his hand, unsure how to respond. Both Marinette and Lila’s eyes widen with surprise when he simply wipes the wet ink on his pants, smearing it and making it unreadable.

He grows flustered with everyone looking at him and pulls Lila aside into a vacant hallway and away from everyone else. “I’m sorry, I just… I don’t think you're being honest with us, and…” he pauses, looking down at her with a serious expression. “I don't like liars.”

Lila gapes at him with surprise before scowling and crossing her arms. “Seems you’re smarter than your dumb friends over there. Now, don't get angry, it's a _compliment_.”  
“I don't care if you know I'm lying, you don’t have any proof anyway. It’s your word against mine, and I know how to make people eat out of the palm of my hand. So it’s really for the better if you just play along. If you’re as smart as you are cute, you'll realize that getting on my bad side will end badly for you, _and_ your band.”

“You wouldn't do something to my friends just because I don't believe in your lies, would you?”

“I’m not sure. Guess we'll find out, won't we?” Lila turns swiftly on her heel, her hair hitting the guitarist in the chest as she does. “Anyway, I have to get back to work now!” she smiles at him from over her shoulder.

“Break a leg.”


	2. Chapter Two

Adrien Agreste sits on his brother's bed, flipping through one of his books. He looks around the room, namely the floor to ceiling bookshelves that took up the larger wall around the window. "You sure do read a lot," he comments, earning a hum in response. "What's your favorite book that you've read?"

Félix pauses, looking up from the box he was packing. He walks over to the bookshelf, tracing his fingers along the spines until he finds what he's searching for and pulls it from the shelf. "This one," Adrien hops off the bed and looks at the old, leather-bound book in his hand.

"Grimm's Fairy Tales?" he questions. "I pegged you for something boring. Or Shakespeare."

"Everyone says that, but, yeah. Mother used to read them to me before you were born, and my curiosity about the origin of these stories is what lead me to become a literature major." Félix hands him the book before coughing into his sleeve.

Adrien listens to his brother cough, timing it to see if it's gotten better. It doesn't last long, only four seconds and Félix clears his throat. The cough he had developed around the holidays is still lingering around, but it's easing up each day. "It's kind of worn but not so much that it's falling apart... Just well-read."

"I've read it front to back so many times, I've lost count actually." he smiles as Adrien reads one of the pages. "You can keep it if you want."

"Huh? I can?"

"Yeah, I have it memorized by now... In three languages... Anyway, yeah. I want you to have it. But on one condition." When Adrien looks at him with confusion, he shoves an empty box at him. "Stop sitting around and help me pack."

There are only ten minutes until showtime and Kitty Section, along with every other band present, is anxiously awaiting their time on stage. Marinette wants to be excited, but she can’t bring herself to be because of Luka’s change in mood. He was quiet, but something tells her it wasn't because of his nerves like before. No, Lila said something to him that upset him. That has to be it. She’ll ask him later, he doesn’t need to be stressed out too much before the show.

An hour passes by and three acts have performed, and Rose was bouncing up and down on her heels with pent up energy. Marinette chews her lip. They should have performed by now, right? Another hour goes by, and so do three more acts and Kitty Section and Marinette both were starting to get impatient.

“Shouldn’t we have gone on by now?” Rose asks.

“Yeah, weren’t we supposed to perform after Wasteland Fist?”

Marinette taps her foot, finding Jagged Stone’s assistant, Penny reading a clipboard. She walks over to her, tapping her on the shoulder. “Excuse me, but can you tell me when Kitty Section goes on stage? They were supposed to perform about two acts ago.”

Penny hums, reading over the list dragging her finger down the paper and flipping to the other page. “I’m sorry, Marinette, but Kitty Section’s not on the list to perform tonight.”

“What?” the woman quickly finds herself surrounded by five not-so-happy teenagers. “What do you mean they’re not on the list to perform?”

“I mean they’re not on the list.”

“But we signed up before the deadline, and we made it here on time too! There has to be some mistake!” Luka protests. “That has to be it, or--” 

“Lila!” Rose calls the girl over when she sees her. “Lila, you're the one that put us on the list, tell her there's a mistake!”

“A mistake?” Lila reads over the list when Penny holds it out to her. “Oh no! I must have forgotten to add you guys with all the excitement of seeing each other again! It's totally my fault, I get sidetracked way too easily and I tend to forget things all the time. But it's okay! We can just put you guys on the list and it's like it never happened!”

“Not quite,” Penny says. “We’re on a tight schedule and there's just no time for another performance.”

“But--”

“I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can do.”

Penny walks away and the group of teenagers stands there in silence. That silence is broken when tears spring to Rose’s eyes and she begins to cry, Juleka pulling her into her arms as Ivan rubs her back.

Marinette looks away, turning her attention to Luka and Lila. Luka was shaking with anger, taking her by surprise before she sees Lila smile.

“I warned you, didn’t I?”

Marinette’s blood boils and without thinking she grabs Lila’s by the arm, dragging her to a cramped supply closet and shoving her inside. She closes the door behind her and glares at her.

“You didn’t forget anything. You left them off the list on purpose!”

Lila laughs. “Oh no, you caught me! I ruined your boyfriend’s big night!”

"He's not my boyfriend!" Marinette blurts out. "And even if he was, what you did was just plain… Plain evil! And then you lied about! How could you be so cruel?!”

“Look, I’m just making a point. I told him what would happen if he tested me, and I had to show him I was serious. There will be other contests, so it's not like it's the end of the world.”

“That’s not the point! All you do is lie to people and you hurt those who actually call you out on it! I get you might be doing it to make friends, but don’t you want people to like you for you? And not for what you tell them?”

“No, not really.” Rolling her eyes at Marinette’s shocked expression, Lila inspects her nails. "I'll tell you like I told your boyfriend or whatever you want to call him, there's nothing you can do because you know I can make people eat out of the palm of my hand. And even if you tried, Penny said it herself, it’s too late to fix it.”

Marinette involuntary jumps when Lila suddenly pins her to the door. “You're a smart girl, Marinette, a lot smarter than most of the people I've met, so I'll give you a choice you're on my side from here on out and if not... well, let’s just say when I'm done with you, you won't have any friends left at all. You’ll be a social outcast and I’ll make sure your friend's band doesn’t perform anywhere ever again," she smirks. "Of course, that all depends on what you decide to do."

"I--"

"You have until school starts again to decide if you’re on my side or not, Marinette. Should be plenty of time for you to get your priorities in order, don't you think?"

The door opens and Marinette stumbles into the hall kept from falling onto the floor by Luka. He's just as angry as she is as Lila steps out and shoves past them with a sly smirk on her face. "Ciao,"

Far from the Eiffel Tower, the window to Hawk Moth's lair opens sending his butterflies swarming around him, almost glowing in the light. "Ah, the anger of knowing your loved ones are being deceived and robbed, yet knowing you're helpless to do anything about it."

A butterfly lands in his palm. "Such righteous anger," he closes his palm over it and a dark aura turns into an Akuma. "Go now, my little Akuma, and akumatize them!"

"That little-- All this time I thought Chloé was bad, but Lila's a straight-up super villain! She doesn't even need a costume!"

"Marinette--"

Hot tears filled her eyes. "It's not fair! How can someone just get away with lying like that?!"

“I know. It’s all my fault, Marinette. I shouldn’t have said anything to her but I couldn’t stop myself.”

“It’s not your fault, she’s just… She’s just _evil_.” Luka places a hand on her shoulder and she looks up at him.

“There will be other shows. I just wish we could have performed tonight… We were going to give any money that we won to--” his eyes widen and Marinette tries to follow his gaze, only for him to shove her to the side just before the small black butterfly could make contact with her.

She watches with horror as the Akuma makes contact with him, watching as he sinks to his knees. “Luka!”

“_Requitalist, not only have you and your friends been wronged by one wicked girl, but she’s left your love in tears._”

“Luka, fight it! You have to fight him!” Marinette plead.

“I--”

“_Your bandmates have worked hard for their chance to shine in the spotlight, why should you let the lies of one jealous girl prevent them from doing so? I’ll see to it that Requitalist and the Akuma’s perform tonight as well as bring that little liar to justice! All I ask in return is Ladybug and Chat Noir’s Miraculous!_”

“I like the sound of that, Hawk Moth.”

“Luka!” Marinette is helpless as she watches the dark aura engulf her friend, and she can hear screams in the distance, letting her know that the others were transforming too.

The aura fades, leaving behind the Requitalist with his hair combed to the side, black with cobalt blue tips. He wears a pair of black jeans with a studded belt, with matching black combat boots. His shirt is a navy blue with distressed mesh sleeves under a black vest with studs on the shoulders. He looked the part for a punk rock band.

“It’s okay, Marinette,” he smiles at her, looking hurt when she flinches as he pulls her to her feet. “I’ll never hurt you. Not in a million years. You stay here where it’s safe, okay?”

He ushers her into the supply closet. “I’ll come to get you when I’m done. It won’t take long.”

He closes the door, leaving Marinette alone in the closet. Tikki zips out of her purse. “Marinette--”

"This is all my fault, I shouldn't have let myself get mad like that! Tikki sp--"

"Marinette, wait! You can't transform!"

"What? Why not?!"

"Luka _knows_ you're Ladybug! He's going to use that against you if you try and fight him now."

"Then why didn't he take the earrings from me already? If he was going to use the fact he knows my identity, then why didn’t he?” she paces around the small room.

“I don’t know, but what I do know is that facing him as Ladybug right now could reveal your identity to Hawk Moth!”

Marinette doesn’t respond, instead, she grabs a broom and faces the door. “Then I'm just going to have to do something as Marinette!”


	3. Chapter Three

_"And that, ladies and gentlemen was Cookie Soup! Will they win the grand prize? Who knows! It’s up to the audience and viewers at home! Don't forget, while you’re voting you can donate to any of the listed charities right from our website! Just go to www.--"_

Alec's interrupted, causing the two Agreste brothers to stop packing and look at the laptop screen as the camera focuses on a punk rock band.

_"Hello Paris! You can call me Requitalist, and this is my band. Together we make Requitalist and the Akuma's! I hope you're ready to rock because no body's going anywhere until I have Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculous."_

The camera moves again, this time turning to focus on a girl dangling above the stage by an assortment of cables. _"I’d hurry if I were you, Ladybug. You wouldn't want your best friend to get hurt, would you?”_

Adrien stands up straight as Requitalist plays his guitar and screams are heard over the computer, and his brother looks at him. Thinking quickly, Adrien puts the tip of his finger in his mouth. "Paper cut. I'm just," stepping over a box, he heads to the doorway. "Going to go get a band-aid. Be right back!"

Félix sighs and shakes his head. "You need better excuses, Chaton Noir." standing up, he walks over to his laptop. Biting his lower lip, he thinks for a moment before closing the laptop and leaving the room.

Adrien runs into his room and shuts the door, Plagg zipping out of his shirt. "A paper cut? Really?"

"Oh, shut up and claws out."

Loud music reaches Chat Noir's ears. The kind of music his father would demand he used headphones if he listened to it. The kind of music that his brother would call 'noise', and that given different circumstances, he might listen to.

Chat Noir perches himself on the Eiffel Tower, using his staff to scope out the situation. The Band was just... Playing for the audience, albeit a captive audience. He focuses on the main guitarist, the one that spoke on the television. There's a good chance he's the ring leader and the others are just his henchmen. Problem is, he's outnumbered four to one and Ladybug is nowhere in sight.

He uses his staff to try and call her once again, only for it to once again ring and ring with no answer. "Come on, LB, where are you?"

"Hey look, it's Chat Noir!"

"He's come to save us!"

"But where's Ladybug?"

Chat Noir stiffens when both the audience and the band have their attention on him. He doesn't even have time to react before the Requitalist lunges for him, knocking him from his perch with a swing of his guitar. He crashes into a pile of stage equipment, looking up as the band members surround him.

Requitalist lands in front of him, a devilish grin on his face as he slings his guitar over his shoulder. "Come on, Tomcat, let's play."

The fog machine suddenly kicks on at max power, covering the stage with a thick fog that made it difficult for Requitalist to see through. Something strikes him from behind, and he whirls around, finding nothing there in the fog. He hears Rose yelp, followed by a grunt from Juleka and then a groan from Ivan. 

Chat Noir grins and vaults himself forward with his staff, grabbing his savior around the waist and landing on the beam Lila’s strung up from. 

“Fancy meeting you here, Purrincess.” he grins as Marinette rolls her eyes. He looks down at the commotion on stage, shifting Marinette’s weight as she puts her arms around his neck for support. “Nice thinking down there.” 

The fog clears and Requitalist looks up at them with shock. “Marinette?”

Chat Noir looks down at him and hums. “Well, it looks like we don’t have time to get you down, so you just hang out here while I get Marinette somewhere safe.”

Before Lila could protest, Chat Noir leaps off, leaving her at the mercy of the akumas on stage. She groans in annoyance and looks up at the sky, and mutters: “I can’t believe I’m saying this but, Ladybug better get here soon.”

Chat Noir sets Marinette down on a random rooftop. “You’ll be safe here. I’m going to go distract the choir section until Ladybug arrives. You stay put, okay?”

“Yes. Thank you Chat Noir!”

Marinette watches Chat Noir vanish over the skyline and clenches her fists. “I can’t just sit here and do nothing, Tikki!”

The kwami looks at her from within her purse. "Are you sure, Marinette?"

"No, I'm not. But I don't have a choice," she admits with a heavy sigh. "Tikki, spots on."


	4. Chapter Four

Ladybug jumps on top of Jagged Stone's tour bus, scanning the area for Chat Noir and the band. The stage was a wreck, and the audience had fled the moment they had the chance. Lila was still hanging around and was unharmed, which was good. She takes out her yo-yo. “I need to get her down,” she mumbled to herself.

Ladybug suddenly leaps off the bus as one of Requitalist's band members -Ivan, she quickly pieces together- slams his arms down onto the bus with monstrous strength.

She lands on her feet, arming herself with her yo-yo as the drummer jumps from the dented bus, the alarm blaring and making her ears ring. Ladybug doesn't have time to come up with a plan to handle him before she's attacked once more, this time from behind by the transformed Juleka wielding her bass guitar.

Ladybug cries out in surprise when she's yanked back to the ground when a microphone cord lassos around her, seeing Rose join them. She quickly frees herself and spins her yo-yo as a shield as the three advances on her. 

"You better be alright, Chat."

Chat Noir lands in a heap in a pile of fold-up chairs. He can see Ladybug fighting the other three band members on her own, and quickly gets to his feet to go to her aid. He's roughly pulled back by his tail and in the blink of an eye, his staff is locked together with Requitalist's guitar.

"What's the matter, Tomcat? Need your girlfriend to hold your hand?" Requitalist sneers.

"For the record," Chat Noir grits his teeth, pushing against him. "I don't need anyone to hold my hand to take care of the likes of you!" he pins him down. "Now why don't you be a good choir boy and give me your Akuma, hm?"

Chat Noir's face flushes when the Requitalist gives him a playful smile and wraps his legs around his waist, and in one swift movement, flips him around and pins his wrists above his head. "Now why are you being so mean, Tomcat? I thought we had something special going on."

Still processing what had just happened, it takes Chat a few seconds to come up with a witty comeback."I'm afraid there's only one person I want to have something special with..." he pauses, face becoming hotter as the face of Ladybug's substitute flashes through his mind. Okay, maybe there are two people he'd like to have something special with.

"Is that so? I'm a little jealous, I've always been a cat person."

_"Stop playing around and take the Miraculous! His ring!"_ Hawkmoth barks.

Ladybug sees Chat Noir and the Requitalist from the corner of her eye, eyes widening when she sees the Akuma reach for his ring. "Chat Noir!"

“Lucky Charm!” a pair of magnetic cuffs and their key fall into her hands. Her eyes dart around, searching for a way to use them.

Her attention is forced back onto the band as they continue their assault. She and Chat Noir have been outnumbered like this before, but they've always had some help, be it in the form of civilians or another hero she had to recruit. But this time... This time she had no idea how to use the Lucky Charm and knew they were on their own, and she can’t see a way for them to win.

"_Ladybug! My name is Paon Royale, I can lend you the extra manpower that you need if you'll let me!_"

Hawkmoth smiles to himself, watching through Requitalist's eyes as he struggles to open Chat Noir's ring hand, watching as he has to recoil when the young hero activates his Cataclysm.

"No worries, all you have to do is wait until his time runs out and victory is yours."

The Akuma's focus turns to that of the onslaught on Ladybug by his lackeys. Turning those young performers into Requitalist’s goons was one of his better moves and it certainly gave him the upper hand. Even if it is a strain on his own power, three human children are much more complicated than transforming an alligator into a dragon, it was worth it in the long run.

His eyebrows knit together when he sees something begin to manifest besides Ladybug, but his attention is back on Chat Noir when Requitalist leaps away from him, throwing knives pierce the ground at his feet. "What--" his eyes widen when in shock he sees, yet another hero, this one clad in a blue tailcoat in the style of a-- "_That's impossible!_"

"Requitalist! Take all of their Miraculous' no matter what!" he orders. "Nooroo, dark wings fall!"

"Sorry for interrupting... Whatever it is you two have going on, but you seemed like you needed the help."

Chat Noir stares at the newcomer, he’s tall and lanky with blonde hair tied back into a short ponytail. He extends a hand to him and he blinks but chooses to take it, letting him pull him to his feet. "Thanks for that,"

He looks over to Ladybug, surprised to see that she, and something that looked like a robotic version of Ladybug fighting alongside her. He's confused, to say the least, but then he thinks back to the Muffin Man incident a few weeks ago.

"You're Paon Royale!"

The older hero smiles before turning his attention back to the Akuma. "We can properly introduce ourselves later," he says, pulling two fans from his belt. "For now, I think your boyfriend wants to play."

Chat Noir pulls out his staff when Requitalist's band joins his side as he stands up, guitar in hand. Ladybug and her robotic doppelganger join him and Paon, yo-yos at the ready.

"Making friends, kitty?" Ladybug eyes the stranger. She has questions, but they all have to wait until later.

"Oh, like you're not the one with a cool Robot Ladybug...." he thinks for a second. "Let's name her Robobug." The robot beeps in delight, glowing eyes flashing. "See? She likes it!"

Now back on his feet, Requitalist lets out a laugh. "So, you want to turn this into a real battle of the bands?" he flashes them a dangerous grin. 

"Then let's battle."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bird Man has arrived ( ͡o ͜ʖ ͡o)
> 
> one day I'll make a proper reference sheet for him and will probably post it to my tumblr @space--butterflies


	5. Chapter Five

Robobug's strength, despite her small stature, is on par with Ivan's and they hold one another at bay. The robot's gears whir as she pushes against him, taking note as his knees bend ever so slightly. Ivan grunts, pushing back against the robot. Squeezing down on her hands, he can hear the metal bend and dent from the force of his grip. 

The drummer falls forward when Robobug suddenly releases him and leaps backward. His face hits the pavement, leaving him dazed and the robot takes the chance to restain him with her yo-yo, beeping triumphantly whilst perched on his back.

Seeing this, Rose attempts to lasso the robot with her microphone, only for it to fall onto the ground just a foot away from her.

"Huh?" she pulls the cord, finding it to be cut clean in two. The singer looks up in confusion, seeing Paon Royale twirling a decorative knife between gloved fingers, a sly smile on his face.

"Nice try but--" the words die in Paon's throat as the cord is wrapped around his torso and he's spun around before being thrown into a tower speaker on the stage. He blinks several times, looking up at her with wide eyes as she hops onto the stage, a new, perfectly intact microphone in hand. "Where do you keep all that strength in that tiny body?"

“Nathalie!” the woman jumps in her seat when her employer's voice comes over the intercom. “Where are my sons? They’re not in either of their rooms.”

“Your sons--” clearing her throat and regaining her composure, Nathalie turns back to her computer, minimizing her game of solitaire and pulling up their individual schedules. Her eyes go over the screen, darting over to a news notification of a new superhero fighting alongside Ladybug and Chat Noir. She clicks on it, opening up a live video streaming from the ever-popular Ladyblog.

She removes her glasses and rubs at her temples. “They went out for dinner, sir,” she says. It’s a lie, but it’s all she could think of. “And afterward they planned on checking out the concert to see Adrien’s friends performance.”

“They didn’t have my permission to leave. What’s more, the concert venue is under attack by a supervillain.”

“I’m aware, Sir, but trust me--” she winces when the newcomer is slammed into a tower speaker on stage. “They’re perfectly safe. You know Félix will keep Adrien safe.”

Silence is her only response, and she begins to chew her lower lip. 

“Yes, you’re right. I know Félix would do everything in his power to make sure his little brother wouldn’t get hurt.” Gabriel sighs heavily. “Even if it means doing something stupid and reckless.”

Paon Royale has to move quickly to dodge Rose’s makeshift whip, narrowly avoiding a strike to the head from the microphone with a well-timed duck. She’s ruthless, but he’s fought worse.

He staggers, taking deep, ragged breaths as his eyes darted around for a solution on how to defeat her. “What’s the matter, old man? Getting tired?”

“Not in the slightest,” he opens his eyes and gives her a cocky grin. “I’m just a little out of practice.”

As Rose and Paon scuffle on stage, Chat Noir uses his staff to protect himself from Juleka's attacks, she uses her bass guitar like a club and while her movements were predictable, they were fast. She swings the bass, sending him sliding backward on the pavement. He wipes the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.

"I may not be a guitar guy, but aren't you supposed to handle them with more care than that?" he questions, flexing his fingers as he hears that telltale beep from his ring. He's running out of time. He stows away his staff and lunges forward as she rushes him with the bass raised above her head.

Before he can grab the instrument and destroy it with his Cataclysm, Rose's cord wraps tightly around his wrist, keeping him still. Juleka freezes at that exact moment, another cord wrapped around the neck of Juleka’s guitar, Paon standing behind her and pulling the cord taut to keep her in place. From the corner of his eye, Chat can see Lila running off stage and hopefully somewhere safe.

The two superheroes look to one another, and as if reading one another's mind, the two swiftly make their move. Paon Royale quickly disarms Juleka with a harsh yank, catching the bass in one hand and performing a low sweep kick to knock her off her feet. Chat twists himself around and grabs Rose’s cord with his Cataclysm, causing the cord to split and fall apart.

Paon Royale tosses the microphone to Chat Noir, and together they make quick work of tying the two girls together.

"Not bad for a newbie," Chat comments as Paon straightens up. "I mean, could be better, but you're still better than most.”

Paon scoffs. “I’m just rusty.”

“Aw, don’t be that way. I didn’t mean too…” a sly grin crosses Chat’s features, and Paon scowls.

“Don’t--”

“_Ruffle your feathers_” he laughs, and Paon Royale pinches the bridge of his nose with a groan.

Meanwhile, Ladybug skids to a halt on the stage, and with one swift flick of the wrist she has her yo-yo tightly secured around Requitalist’s guitar and they play a game of tug-o-war for it.

“It’s pretty low of you to introduce a new performer mid-performance,” Requitalist chides through gritted teeth. “I thought you were better than cheap tricks, Ladybug.”

“I’d rather a surprise guest than changing genres mid-set.” Ladybug retorts. She takes a glance towards the others and smirks. “Besides, your band doesn't seem to be doing so well against mine,”

Eyes narrowing, Requitalist follows her gaze. His eyes widen at the sight of his band members having been defeated, by Ladybug’s companions. “But how--” he stumbles when the guitar is yanked out of his hands, looking at Ladybug with surprise.

“Sorry, Requitalist,” Ladybug holds the instrument over her head, a triumphant smile on her face. “But you’re disqualified.”

With that, she slams the guitar down onto the stage floor, breaking it in two. The smile on her face vanishes when the Akuma doesn’t flutter out of the broken neck of the guitar.

“What?”

The supervillain smirks. “Oh no! I’ve been disarmed! Whatever will I do?” he puts his hands in the air as he casually walks over to another guitar. He picks it up and strums it with his guitar pick, and it changes its colors to match the one Ladybug had broken. 

Ladybug’s eyes narrow behind her mask, focusing on the guitar pick, and looks back at the Lucky Charm again. She’s running out of time.

Before she has the chance to think of how to use the Lucky Charm, the Requitalist rushes forward, swinging his new guitar like a baseball bat that she barely has time to dodge by leaping off the stage with him at her heels. 

Chat Noir and Paon Royale rush to her aid, taking on the Akuma themselves to give her time to think of a plan. Blue eyes dart around, searching for a solution. The guitar, Chat, Paon, the cuffs, Requitalist and then… Robobug! That’s it!

“Chat Noir! Paon Royale!” she calls, as she separates the cuffs from one another. “Heads up!” she tosses them the cuffs, and in one swift flick of the wrist, her yo-yo wraps around the guitar and once again she yanks it forward.

Chat Noir looks at the cuff in his hand with confusion, not exactly sure what to do with it. That is until he sees Paon grab the Akuma by the wrist and place his cuff on him, locking it so he couldn’t take it off. He quickly mimics him and releases him as the two magnets force Requitalist’s wrists together. 

Discarding the guitar, Ladybug uses her yo-yo to wrap around Requitalist’s now bound wrists and swings him around, knocking him right into Robobug. The magnets in the bracelets keeping him in place despite his best efforts to pull himself free.

Ladybug picks up the dropped guitar pick and easily snaps it in half, smiling as the little black butterfly flutters out. “That’s enough rock and roll for you, little Akuma.” 

She captures the Akuma with her yo-yo, releasing it just moments later and sending the white butterfly on its way. “Bye-bye, little butterfly,” 

“Miraculous Ladybug!” she tosses the key to the cuffs, and everything in the area is restored within the blink of an eye. 

The swarm of magical ladybugs surrounds the band, and they’re back to normal once the swarm vanishes.

“Ladybug?” Luka blinks up at her robotic doppelganger with confusion. “What’s… What’s going on?”

“Since when are you a robot?” Ivan asks peering up at the robot.

“Why are we tied up?”

“It’s a long story,” Ladybug answers and they all turn to her. She gives Luka a smile before turning her attention to the robot. “Good job, Robobug! You were great! But... You can let them go now.”

The robot beeps as she sets Luka properly on his feet, carefully retracting her yo-yo. 

Ladybug smiles, watching as the band marvels at the robot, darting around her with wide eyes, taking pictures of her with her phone, Ivan saying something about Max losing his mind when he sees her.

Her and Chat’s Miraculous beeps, giving the telltale sign that they’re going to transform back soon. “Sorry guys, but we have to go, it’s passed Robobug’s bedtime.”

Luka smiles at her. “Thanks for everything, Ladybug. I’m not sure what I did, but thanks for saving me and my friends.”

Ladybug smiles and takes out her yo-yo and zips off, Robobug beeping and following after her. Chat Noir looks to Paon Royale, ready to use his staff as a vaulting pole.

“I don’t suppose you can fly, can you, Feathers?”

Paon Royal gives him a smirk. “No, but I’m good at jumping. I even have my very own _sparrowchute_ for an easy landing.”

“Was that a pun? Because _toucan_ play at that game.” The older superhero simply snorts and leaps off after Ladybug, Chat Noir at his heels.


	6. Chapter Six

The group touches down on a random rooftop, Ladybug turning back to Robobug with a smile. “Thank you for all your help today, we couldn’t have done it without you.”

The robot simply nods, and Paon Royale snaps his fingers, and the robotic guardian vanishes in a puff of blue smoke. Chat Noir watches the feather drift from Ladybug’s ribbon and into her hand, humming in thought before looking to Paon. 

“Think you can you make a Robo Noir?” he asks, eyes sparkling.

“No. I mean, theoretically, yes, but no.” Chat pouts and Ladybug laughs.

“One Chat Noir is enough, thank you very much.” she teases, using his shoulder as an armrest. “Your my one and only Chat and I plan to keep it that way.”

“Aw, I love you too, Bugaboo.” her hand covers his face as he leans in for a kiss.

Ladybug’s face turns serious when she looks back at Paon Royale. “Paon… I… You… Where did you get the Peacock Miraculous?”

The question takes him aback, and he blinks a few times. “I… Well--” the Miraculous in question beeps. “I’m sorry, but I need to leave.”

“But--

“I can explain when I have more time. I promise you, I will. Just trust me one more time, okay?”

Before she could protest, he leaps off the building and vanishes from sight. Ladybug frowns and Chat places a hand on her shoulder. 

“I think we can trust him,” he says.

“But what if he’s working with Hawk Moth? The Butterfly and Peacock Miraculouses were stolen at the same time. He could be lying to us.”

“Yeah, but… I don’t know, he helped the other Ladybug and I before when that baker was akumatized a few weeks ago, and he helped us today, and I just feel like we can trust him.”  
“Let’s let him explain everything next time and go from there.”

Ladybug sighs. “Yeah, okay, that's reasonable. But… I have to tell the guardian about this. He needs to know the Peacock Miraculous is active.”

“If you think that’s for the best then I trust you,” Chat Noir smiles. His ring beeps once again. “I’m going to change back soon, I’ll see you around M’lady.” he gives her a wink and vaults himself off the roof.

Fu watches a video clip of the Akuma fight on Marinette’s cell phone, pausing it to focus on the Peacock Miraculous and its new owner. His eyes narrow as he listens to Marinette speak.

“He just showed up out of nowhere, and this isn’t the first time he’s helped us either. Chat Noir said he helped out when my dad was akumatized, but I don’t think he actually showed up in person.”

She fiddles with her hands, the rest of the Battle of the Band’s was delayed by two hours so everyone could regroup after the Akuma attack, and all she was able to do was send him a quick text message before hurrying off to visit Fu. She knows she has plenty of time, but she was still anxious to get back to the Eiffel Tower so she could speak with Luka before Kitty Section went on stage.

“Did he tell you how he got hold of the Miraculous?”

“No, but he said he’d tell us everything the next time we met,” Marinette says, staring at her lap. “Do you think he’s the one who stole it in the first place.”

“No, he’s much too young. I lost the Butterfly and Peacock Miraculous decades ago, long before this Paon Royale was born.” he zooms in on the young man’s face. “But I am curious as to how it came into his possession…” he studies him for a moment and hums to himself before closing the video and handing the phone back to Marinette. “Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Marinette.”

“What do you think I should do, master?”

“Give him the benefit of the doubt for now. I’ll be doing my own investigation in the meantime. But, something tells me you can trust this young man.”

Elsewhere, Adrien rolls his shoulders as Plagg opens his mini-fridge to get a piece of cheese, taking small bites from it rather than swallowing it in one gulp.

“Look at you, eating with proper manners.”

“Listen, after a long fight like that, after battle snacks taste much better if you savor it. Even my last Chat Noir knew that much.”

Interested, Adrien plops down on his sofa, staring at Plagg who’s seated on the arm eating his cheese. “Can you tell me anything about them? Your last Chat Noir?”

“Sorry kid, I’d love too, but it's against the rules.” The kwami stares at the cheese intently before breaking down and swallowing what's left in one bite. “Ah, that hit the spot.”

Adrien smiles, rolling off the couch and standing up. “I’m going back to help Fé, you just stay here and take it easy.”

“Adrien,” the boy freezes in the hall when he hears his father’s voice.

“Father,” he smiles at his father as he ascends the staircase meeting him at the top. He quickly grows uncomfortable under his father’s studying gaze. “What’s the matter, father?”

Gabriel lets out a sigh of relief. “Nothing,” he pulls his youngest into a hug. “I was just worried about you, that’s all.”

Adrien blinks, his father’s never expressed worry for his Post-Akuma-Attack-Wellbeing, so… Why now? He returns the hug anyway. “I’m okay,” he smiles up at his father when he pulls away, hands on his shoulders. 

Gabriel goes to speak, but a loud crash from another room stops him. He squeezes Adrien’s shoulder before marching towards the room, his son on his heels. Opening the door, they find Félix on his knees coughing violently into one hand, clinging to one of his bookshelves to keep himself from falling any further with the other. The books falling from the shelf being the crash they had heard.

“Félix--” Gabriel steps into the room, stepping over boxes and getting on the floor beside his son.

Adrien watches as his father talks his brother through the coughing fit, unsure what to do. What happened to make Félix’s cough come back, and with a vengeance?

Félix takes deep, ragged breaths once the fit finally died down and puts a hand to his head. 

“Félix, Are you okay? What happened?” he looks up at his younger brother.

“Swallowed some dust,” he answers with a tired smile. “I’m okay.”

Gabriel studies him, patting his back before helping him stand. He keeps him steady with a hand on his chest when he stumbles. “I think you should lie down, son.”

Félix hums in response, letting his father lead him to his bed and sitting him down. He lets him push him back against the headboard, looking at him when he places his hand on his shoulder.

“I want you to postpone moving out until Spring. Moving this time of year isn’t the best idea, and with that persistent cough of yours, I’d rather not risk you getting pneumonia.”

The young man attempts to argue with him, but another coughing fit wracks his body. It’s over quickly, and he just nods, defeated. “Yes, sir.”

“Good, now get some rest.” Gabriel squeezes his shoulder hard enough to make him flinch and leans down. “You had a very eventful evening playing superhero, you must be tired.”

Félix’s eyes widen and his father releases him. He walks to the door. “Come along, Adrien, let him rest.”

Adrien nods and smiles at his brother. “Feel better, okay?”

The door closes behind them before he could even respond, and he’s left in his room, still lightheaded and his heart pounding. He reaches into his pocket with a shaking hand, tightly gripping the brooch inside it as a small blue creature emerges from his sweater.

“Master…?”


	7. Chapter Seven

“Oh, Marinette, there you are. We were starting to--” before Luka could finish the thought, Marinette grabs him and drags him away from the rest of the band, a series of ‘ooh’ and ‘aah's’ following them.

She pushes him into the same supply closet she had hidden not too long ago and closes the door once she’s in there with him. Arms crossed over her chest, Marinette stares him down, earning a sheepish smile from him.

“You’re mad, huh?”

“I’m a little more than mad,” Marinette taps her foot. “How could you throw yourself in front of me and let yourself get akumatized? Why would you give yourself up like that? Do you know how stupid that was?!”

“The first time you were akumatized, I swore to myself that I would never let that happen again. Even if it means becoming akumatized myself, I don’t ever want you to be so hurt that it gains his attention ever again.”

“Luka…” Marinette’s expression softens and she uncrosses her arms. “... There are other ways to keep me from getting akumatized. You didn’t have to give yourself up like that.”

“I know, but I don’t always think clearly when the people I l--” Luka quickly clears his throat. “The people I _care_ about are in trouble.” he smiles at her. “Besides, I knew you would save me.”

Marinette stares at him with wide eyes, feeling her face becoming hot. She chuckles. “I can't be mad at that. But,” she points at him. “Next time, try and find another way to keep me from being akumatized, understand?”

“Loud and clear, Miss Manager.”

“Good.” 

They leave the closet, rejoining the band as they pack up, the crowd outside goes wild for the band currently playing. Marinette frowns. It wasn't fair that because of Lila they couldn't perform tonight. They worked so hard to be here and just like that, they had to leave.

“Hey, hey, hey, why all the sad faces?” Jagged Stone asks as he enters the room. “You guys haven't even been on stage yet and you look like you lost!”

“That's because they don't _get_ to go on stage, Sir” Penny informs him. “There was a mix up with one of the volunteers and she forgot to add them to the list and performing bands.”

“Then put them on the list and it’ll be like it never happened!”

“There’s no time, voting closes in thirty minutes and we still have two more acts, and we already extended the time due to the Akuma attack.”

“Then just extended it by another half hour!” Jagged looks at Luka. “You’re Anaraka’s boy, aren’t you?”

“Um, yes sir… You know my mom?”

“He’s _Anarka’s_ boy, Penny! You know, _the_ Anarka! What’s more, they’re Marinette’s friends! Come on, let them perform!”

Penny is once again surrounded by a group of teenagers, as well as her boss, all of them looking at her with pleading eyes and saying ‘please’. She heaves a sigh. “Okay fine, I’ll tell Alec and the people running the website.”

The group cheers and Jagged hugs her tightly as the band rushes to unpack their equipment. “This is why you're the best, Penny!” 

“I’m Alec Cataldil, here with Jagged Stone himself and the results are in!” Alec says into the camera, Jagged Stone holding up a shiny gold envelope. “Our top three bands are... Witches and Bunnies, Accidental Gorilla, and Kitty Section! All locals, and all animal names! But don’t worry, every other group that participated in tonight's event will be given 200€ for their charities.”

The crowd cheers and the top three groups anxiously await the results of who won. 

Jagged clears his throat and opens the envelope and the crowd goes silent, just like those nationwide talent shows on TV. 

“In third place, winning 5,000€… Kitty Section!” the crowd cheers and the band high fives each other, Marinette cheering from off stage as Ivan scoops Luka and the girls up into a hug.

Alec walks over to them, microphone in hand. “Kitty Section! Congratulations on winning third place! How are you feeling?” he holds the microphone to them, Rose and Juleka pushing Luka forward.

“We’re feeling great, Alec, we never imagined we’d come this far.”

“What do you plan to do with the money you won? Do you know what charity you’ll be donating to?”

“Well, we’re donating to the Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie! It’s the main reason we entered the contest. Paris just isn’t Paris without it up and running, you know?”

Marinette completely checks out, somehow managing to tune out everything Alec says in response to Kitty Section before Jagged announces the winner. All she can hear is the crowd cheering and Luka’s announcement echoing in her head.

They never did tell her what exactly they were playing for, so she had just assumed it’d be going to the school to fund the music department, but she never once considered they were planning something like _this_. 

Tears well up in her eyes as the band leaves the stage as Jagged announces the winners of the contest. She opens and closes her mouth, trying to say something, anything, but all she does is end up looking like a fish. The tears spill over and Luka rushes over to her in concern.

“Marinette? What’s wrong? Why are you crying?” his face turning red when she hugs him around the neck. He smiles and hugs her back, straining his hearing to make out what she was saying, her voice muffled by his shirt and the cheering crowd. "You want to know why we didn't tell you before, huh?" he guesses and she confirms with a nod.

“We wanted it to be a surprise,” Rose answers.

“We know it’s been hard for you and your folks to get the money together to start the repairs, and we wanted to help somehow,” Juleka adds.

Marinette pulls away from Luka’s chest, wiping her eyes and fighting back more tears as she hears what they have to say.

“Paris really doesn’t feel like Paris without your parents' bakery… So we want to help get it back up and running as soon as possible.” Ivan says and Luka puts his hands on Marinette’s shoulders.

“You always do so much for others, Marinette. Be it at school or otherwise, you’re always doing something to help someone. We figured it was time for someone to help you for a change.”

“That’s a really nice surprise, you guys.” Marinette hiccups. She smiles when she’s pulled into a group hug. “I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”

“Marinette, its a gift, you don't have to repay us for anything,” Luka tells her. “But, if you decide you want to bake us some cookies or something, we wouldn’t object to it either.”

Marinette giggles. “Alright, you got a deal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Despite how long it took me, I'm rather pleased with how this story came out. I'm not sure when the next one will be as I'm working on a few other projects on top of my keyboard not working properly (i wrote most of this with the onscreen keyboard) so it probably won't be until I get a new laptop for Christmas.
> 
> Thanks for reading and I hope to see you again for the next part! Until then, stay Miraculous! (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧


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